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October 18, 2017

this post has been sitting on "draft" for 2 months, so I figured what better time to share it!

Lucy is now 8 months old - HOW? and believe it or not, we are still adjusting to life with two babies. every day is something different, a new milestone, challenge + adventure.

a lot of people assume labor/delivery occurs like it does in the movies. lord, I wish it did. 98% of the time, your water doesn't even break on it's on - shocker, I know. with Mila, I did go into labor naturally (after pre term labor at 29 weeks), we did make it to 39w4d. but with Lu, that wasn't the case.

as my due date approached, I went to my 39w appointment + discussed being induced. my anxiety was extremely high at this point, wondering if I would go into labor while I was out, or in my sleep (like with Mila). if I would have to wait for my husband to drive all the way home from work + cross my fingers we made it to the hospital in time. plus, who was going to watch Mila?

we decided on an induction to help ease my anxiety + worries, and the next morning John + I headed to the hospital.

they hooked me up, and the nurses began to place bets

"we have 4 other moms here .. we are betting on you delivering first!"

no pressure.

spoiler alert - I delivered last

I decided I didn't want to rush for an epidural this time, since with Mila, it didn't work.

they began the induction, and we waited. I wasn't dilating much so they upped my medication. nothing. my OB came in, checked me + asked if I wanted them to break my water (which we did with Mila). I agreed since I knew what to expect. let's get the show on the road.

about 3 hours later, my labor was progressing perfectly. contractions were strong and I only had about 3cm until we would start delivery. my nurse came in to ask if I was ready for an epidural, and I declined. I was so calm and relaxed, the pain didn't really bother me this time around.

now cut to 20 minutes later, I called in my nurse and said "let's get that epidural". normally they don't give epidurals after a certain point, but my nurses were incredible. at first it didn't work - as I expected - but luckily, they were fine giving me a few more doses. bless their souls.

after about an hour, I told my husband to shut the tv off + put on country music. I just wanted to relax until they told me it was ready to push. the clock read 4:31 and I said to John, "this baby will be here before 5, watch". I closed my eyes and woke up to my amazing doctor asking if she could check my progress.

"do you feel any pressure?"

"nope"

she had me put my knees up, and immediately stopped dead in her tracks

she left the room, grabbed a nurse (who was assisting in the delivery in the next room), ran back in + grabbed gloves.

"you didn't feel pressure? she is right there!"

I looked at John and started sobbing (which I apparently did with Mila too). just knowing that in a few seconds, she would be on my chest. all this waiting, and the moment is finally here.

since I was still numb (thank the heavens), the nurses read the monitor and told me when I had to push.

1st push: her head/shoulders

2nd push: she was here

the clock now read 4:35

they placed her on my chest and I studied her face as she took her first little breath.

her tiny cries, puffy eyes + 10 little toes

I remember thinking she was way smaller than Mila, and she was.

a perfect 6 lbs 4 oz, with a ton of hair

I took the next 2 days relaxing + enjoying my new little babe. I knew I didn't want John staying with me this time. Lu was nursing like a champ, and I was so much more confident. plus, why make your man sleep on a chair? I wanted him home with Mila, so a little after Lu was born, it was just me + my girl.

I decided to keep her in the room with me, unlike with Mila - who had to be kept in the nursery for observations. I didn't want to miss out on these moments again. the nurses took such amazing care of us, bringing me food after-hours, hot tea + keeping Lu swaddled up right - because let's face it - who swaddles better than a L&D nurse?! it was like a mini vacation, but deep down, I couldn't wait to get home to Mila + start this new chapter as a family of 4, with our newest Lucy Belle.

October 7, 2017

the weeks seriously fly by. I have so many posts drafted up, and literally ZERO time to edit + upload. but I thought sharing a few of my current favorites would be a good way to transition into the colder months. I am in no way a "beauty blogger" - but I have received a bunch of questions regarding things that I have shared on IG [@gniccccc], so I thought it would make the most sense to have all those items in one place + give you a little run down about each.

iPHONE PORTRAIT MODE

this was introduced to me over the summer + I have been obsessed ever since. there is an option in your iPhone camera that allows you to take more "professional" shots. open your camera, click "portrait" + follow the directions it gives you on the bottom of your screen. it'll tell you to move closer/further away from your object + it blurs our the background, so your shot is more clean + less "busy". I love using this when I take photos of my girls.

BABY MONITOR

one of my mommy friends had posted a picture of her kid sleeping + the quality was unreal. I asked what camera she used, and she told me this! the YI HOME camera system is crazy good. if offers play back, and a live feed with no drag time. you can also talk through it, which I love. I believe most people use this as a home security system, but for a baby monitor, it's amazing.

you guys, this stuff is life changing. you can use it all over your entire body. my favorite use is in my makeup routine. after my moisturizer + primer, I will mix a few drops of this with my CC cream, and apply with a beauty blender. CC creams can be more on the dry side, so this helps keep it smooth + keeps your skin super dewy.

so as a mama of two, I need something quick + easy for when I actually have 4 minutes to put make up. this is my go-to because you don't need much + it's super light weight. a little bit goes a long way, but remember it can be more "dry" than a regular foundation. so use an oil or an extra moisturizer to help it from looking "cakey".